Sun Devils look to top 2007 season's success

Rudy Carpenter meant no disrespect to the Holiday Bowl, but the Arizona State quarterback made it clear Sunday that the Sun Devils have to raise expectations, and if need be, change their attitude.

"I think we went to San Diego just happy to be there," Carpenter said of last season's 52-34 loss to Texas. "We were on vacation. We went there thinking, 'Oh, we finished with 10 wins. We're good, we're great.' (Texas was) disappointed to be in that game. I think the expectation level is different, and for us to compete with those teams we have to set loftier goals."

That was the mood put into place at ASU's media gathering, a precursor to today's first official fall workout. The Sun Devils, defending co-Pac-10 champions, aren't satisfied with winning 10 games or spending the bowl season wearing shades. They want more, and they think they have everything needed to justify their appetite, starting with the most basic ingredient: comfort.

"Well, we know each other," second-year coach Dennis Erickson said when asked to identify the biggest difference between this season and last. "The players know the coaches. We know the players. They know how we react to things. It's nice being around them for a year. It makes a big difference. Last year, we didn't know what to expect."

In that sense, last year offered a taste of what happens when a team starts 8-0 and of what happens when it joins the Bowl Championship Series debate in November, when each game has title implications, when one loss - even one play - can be the difference between the Holiday Bowl and the Rose Bowl.

The Sun Devils weren't ready for that leap last season, losing to Oregon and Southern California, letting their first outright Pac-10 title since 1996 slip away. On Sunday, a reporter asked Carpenter how close the Sun Devils have inched toward USC, which is picked to win its seventh consecutive conference championship.

"What did we lose by last year?" he asked.

"Twenty points," an ASU official told him.

"Twenty points?" Carpenter said. "Obviously, we weren't close last year. We've played them close, but never on a consistent basis."

Some news that doesn't help: Right tackle Richard Tuitu'u has decided he won't play football this season. The 6-foot-4, 353-pound junior, a possible starter, played in 10 games last year, including the final nine. Erickson wouldn't call Tuitu'u's decision a blow, but he acknowledged the offensive line's inexperience.

"I'm excited about our offensive front, but it's an area that's young," Erickson said of a unit that allowed a school-record 55 sacks last year. "That's probably the biggest question we have."

Throughout his career, Erickson has had success in his second season. He went 8-3 in his first stint at Idaho and won six more games in his second season at Washington State. At Oregon State, he went 11-1 and tied for the Pac-10 title during his second season.

This year, the schedule will test him like never before. On Sept. 20, Georgia invades Sun Devil Stadium, kicking off a four-game stretch that also has California, USC and Oregon. At the moment, Georgia and USC rank first and second in the USA Today preseason poll. Erickson said he couldn't recall a tougher stretch in his career.

But in the end, he said the important thing is development. Sometimes it takes three games to form an identity, sometimes it requires four. Regardless, the goal doesn't change.

"Our goal, as I've said before, is going to be the same every year," Erickson said. "That's going to be compete for the championship and go to the Rose Bowl. We're young and inexperienced in a lot of areas, (but) we'll see how we grow. I like our team. They've had a good summer. They compete and play hard, and we'll see what happens."